One way of reconciling such apparent contradictions is to reorder the context within which they are rationalized. One context within which the whole racist environment could in any way make sense to a sane, rational, Christian people, was that it was some sort of divine test of the soul's mettle. The ability to cope with and to survive the subjugation and persecution without destroying one's faith or damaging one's soul becomes requisite to a better life after death, making religion and the religious life both the test and the reward. As a young man, Gabriel became a popular, much respected minister in the South, and his reputation and position in the church were enhanced rather than diminished by his past. He would not have been so powerful if he had not lived such a wild life. Had he always been devout, no one would have thought much of his service in the church, but converting from a life of wickedness made his position all the more remarkable.
All in all, Gabriel has few redeeming qualities. He shuns his responsibilities; he abuses his wife and children; he is arrogant; he lacks empathy with others; and he lacks courage to live the good life of which he is fully cognizant. His lack of character as the reader sees him is mitigated only by his experiences with American racism, which seems to have produced him.
